Olympic gold medalist named 'ambitious trade target' for Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are one of the NBA's most intriguing teams heading into the 2024-25 season. After their impressive conference finals run just a few months ago, the Pacers made few moves this offseason, deciding to run it back with mostly the same roster and hope for natural progression to inch closer to legitimate title contention.

By all means, this was the right move. Players like Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, who are both already essential to Indiana's success, should be even better next season due to their youth. Additionally, with a full season of Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner in the frontcourt, the Pacers have the tools to shock the basketball world once again this season.

However, just because their roster, especially the heart of it, is fine as is, does not mean they will be entirely absent from trade rumors involving some of the game's most prominent candidates. Whether they will make such a trade seems unlikely, especially at the current moment, but that does not make these potential acquisitions less interesting.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, writer Grant Hughes wrote about one ambitious trade candidate each NBA team could acquire. For the Pacers, Hughes suggested an NBA veteran who has Olympic gold as part of his resume.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant named 'ambitious' target for Pacers

For the past couple of seasons, Grant has been one of the NBA's most popular trade candidates. Much of this has to do with Portland fully committing to a rebuild after trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last year. Additionally, the Portland native will turn 31 in March and does not fit the team's timeline.

Grant has been linked to numerous teams around the league, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers. However, as they head into the upcoming season, Grant is still on Portland's roster with no imminent trade in sight.

On paper, Grant, who won a gold medal with Team USA during the 2020 Olympics, would be a good fit for the Pacers. Though he is mostly a power forward, he has experience playing small forward, which is where Indiana would likely start him. He would replace Aaron Nesmith in the starting lineup, creating a very intriguing first unit.

Additionally, his playstyle fits Indiana's needs. Grant is a solid two-way player who has become a fantastic three-point shooter, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc in each of the last two seasons. Furthermore, he can stretch the floor, is versatile, and can play solid defense. In theory, he is a good fit for the Pacers and would provide a boost to the team on both sides of the floor.

The biggest problem with adding a player like Grant, however, is his contract. Last year, the Trail Blazers signed Grant to a five-year, $160 million deal, including a $36.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season. This will keep him under contract until he is 34 years old.

Grant is a great player who can contribute to winning basketball, but there is a reason no team has pulled the trigger on a trade for him--taking on his large contract is not worth it. This is especially true for a team like the Pacers, who would have to give up tons of valuable, long-term pieces to acquire Grant.

The idea is in the right spot, but trading for Grant has a serious chance to backfire for the Pacers. This is not a risk worth taking.